First volume of in-house series published
New series focuses on "Legal Unity and Pluralism" - First volume edits important source of North German legal history
The first volume of the Kolleg’s new series "Einheit & Vielfalt im Recht / Legal Unity & Pluralism" has just been published. Prof. Dr. Peter Oestmann's German edition of David Mevius' Landrechtsentwurf makes an important source of North German regional and legal history accessible.
One of the most extensive legislative projects of its time
The jurist David Mevius (1609-1670) is one of the great European figures of the usus modernus, a scholarly and at the same time practical approach to law that emerged in the 17th century. His draft of a Mecklenburg land law is one of the most comprehensive legislative projects of its time. With the new edition, it is now available in print for the first time in the original version written by the author.
In his detailed introduction, Oestmann highlights various aspects of the draft land law and demonstrates Mevius' understanding of the law, his theory of legal sources and his legislative technique. Particularly important for Mevius was to shed light on the diverse and sometimes overlapping sources of law in a territory such as Mecklenburg. With his writing, he wanted to create legal certainty and make the outcome of court proceedings more predictable for residents and foreigners alike.
At the same time, the social diversity is reflected in his work, which includes sections on serfs’ and domestics’ law as well as feudalism. With its rich references to the everyday and legal culture of rural society, the source is not only important for legal history, but also for general history. For the first time, the new edition, which has a comprehensive subject index, offers researchers the opportunity for an extensive analysis of the Mecklenburg land law draft.
New series
The edition marks the start of the new series "Einheit & Vielfalt im Recht / Legal Unity & Pluralism", edited by the directors of the Kolleg Prof. Dr. Ulrike Ludwig and Prof. Dr. Peter Oestmann and published by Böhlau. It is based on the premise that legal pluralism has existed at all times – as have various attempts to unify and standardise law. The specific relationship between unity and plurality in law was dynamic and changed again and again in the course of history. The series aims to shed light on this relationship in its cultural diversity: interdisciplinary, transspatially and interepochally. The forthcoming volumes will be published in German or English and predominantly in open access.
Bibliographic data
Peter Oestmann: Der Landrechtsentwurf von David Mevius. Mecklenburgisches Partikularrecht im 17. Jahrhundert. Einführung und Edition, 2021, 501 Seiten, gebunden (Einheit & Vielfalt im Recht / Legal Unity & Pluralism, Bd. 1), Böhlau, Druckausgabe: ISBN: 978-3-412-52267-4, Preis 70,00 EUR; E-Book: ISBN: 978-3-412-52268-1, Preis: 59,99 EUR.
For further information about the series click here.